Pettis loss still fuels champ Henderson leading into UFC on FOX 5

UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson still bristles at the thought of his most recent loss.

Ask him about the unanimous decision he dropped to Anthony Pettis two years ago in the WEC’s last event, and his face tightens as if he’s back in the cage that night, his hand not raised after 25 minutes.

There’s a reason, however, that the 29-year-old doesn’t fight the flood of emotion that still comes forth with the memory: He needs it.

Henderson is a deeply spiritual man and said he’s reached a level of maturity that allows him to deal with the pressures of life at the top of the UFC’s 155-pound class. But discontent is one of the major driving forces in his life, and he’s used it to become a better fighter and a better person.

Pettis emerged the star that night at WEC 53 and cemented a masterful performance by vaulting off the cage and knocking Henderson down with a kick to the face.

Prior to that, Henderson had finished all but two of his opponents, including current UFC standouts Donald Cerrone and Jamie Varner, from whom he took the WEC belt.

Losing to Pettis was a shock to the system. But Henderson (17-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) would rather not forget it.

“It’s not about compartmentalizing,” he said. “It’s about embracing all of it, accepting all of it. That moment, losing, happened once in the past six years. That moment happened to me like it was yesterday. The work I’m doing now, that’s what makes me win my next fight.”

The next fight, in this case, is a title defense against Nate Diaz (16-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC) at UFC on FOX 5, which takes place Dec. 8 at KeyArena in Seattle. The fight headlines the FOX-televised main card following prelims on FX and Facebook.

Once considered the king of a second-tier promotion, Henderson fought back from his loss to Pettis with the type of refined aggression that turned him into a serious UFC contender. He beat Mark Bocek, Jim Miller and Clay Guida in emphatic fashion and squared off with then-champion Frankie Edgar.

He went on to beat Edgar via unanimous decision in February and defend the belt via split decision six months later. Boos rained down on him in the latter fight when the decision was read, but Henderson said he wasn’t rattled by the reaction.

“I think my physical maturation along with my spiritual and emotional maturation coincided nicely to lead me to the point where I’m at now,” he said.

Henderson is aware his maturity will be tested when he fights Diaz, whose talent for taking opponents out of their game with in-cage clowning is one of his strongest points. Evidence of that power was apparent to Henderson when he watched a fight between Diaz and Jim Miller at UFC on FOX 3.

“Jim Miller had never thrown a flying knee in his career,” Henderson said. “He threw a flying knee from five feet away? Why? Because Diaz flipped him off.”

As he said in an earlier interview, Henderson is preparing for Diaz’s antics by having his sparring partners talk trash to him.

During a conference call in support of UFC on FOX 5, Henderson hardly was given the attention of other fighters and UFC President Dana White. But Henderson took it in stride, saying that as long as he kept winning fights, fans would come around.

And with the emotion of his Pettis loss still burning bright, he has plenty of fuel to propel him toward another peak performance.

“I don’t take it and forget about it,” Henderson said. “You have to take it, let it fuel you, and make you a better fighter and person.”

From Our Partners

The Latest

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.